Oil burner



April 7, 1931. J M, BROWN 1,799,725

OIL BURNER Filed June 22. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Johfi M. Bra w/v INVENTOR ATTOR N EW April 7, 1931. J. M. BROWN 1,799,725

OIL BURNER Filed June 22, 192' 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 o 4 John M Brown INVE NTOR

ATTORN EY Patented Apr. 7, 1931 UNITED STATES PATET OFFIE JOHN MURTON BRGVVN, J3 IRVINGTON, NEW JERSEY, ASSIG-NOB TD CRYSTAL OIL BURNER CORPORATION, OF IRVING'ION, NEYV JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW J ERSEY OIL BURNER Application filed June 22,

This invention relates to an oil burner employing fluid fuel such as a viscous oil and is an improvement on the burner set forth in my copending application, Serial No. 45,459,

b filed July 23, 1925.

An object of the present invention is to provide a hi hly' efficient and practical fluid fuel burning unit of simplified construction.

Another object of the invention to provine an arrangement of correlated elements to cause a flow of saturated vapor over a heated area so as to maintain a saturated vapor in contact with said heated area for effecting the complete and efficient conversion of the vapor into a gas.

Another object of the invention is to provide a burner having a firepot so constructed as to control the distribution of heat over its surface.

Another object of the invention is to provide an oil burner which may be quickly and conveniently applied to the firebox of a steam or other boiler for the generation'of heat in place of coal or other hard fuel.

Another object of the invention is to provide an oil burner having a cracking chamher so disposed with respect to the firepot as to be most effectively heated by the flame issuing therefrom and arranged to form a compact unit.

Another object of the invention is to provide an oil burner capable of converting liquid fuel substantially completely to gaseous fuel by means other than the burner for effecting such conversion.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fuel conduit so constructed as to permit the passage of fuel to a conversion chamber without excessive preheating of the 49 fuel.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent as the description is read.

In the manufacture of an oil burner it is desirable to obtain simplicity and eiiiciency as Well as durability. The feature of sim plicity is particularly important when the burner is to be used by a layman, as in con nection with a home heating system.

Although my burner as shown in the above-mentioned copending application has 1927. Serial No. 200,542.

given satisfactory service in demonstrating my broad idea, I have found that insofar as structural features are concerned the invention herein shown and described provides a more simple and practical burner of such a character as to be easily handled and readily applied to a variety of conditions.

I My improved burner may be comprised of several separable parts which may be renewed when necessary in a convenient and expeditious manner. v r

The burner parts include a cracking chamber to receive a mixed fuel for conversion into a gaseous state, said chamber being supported by a conduit which in turn is ass ciated with one end of a base casting comprising a firepot.

One of the novel features of the present burner resides in disposing the cracking chamber above the firepot' and the provision of independent means for maintaining the cracking chamber at the proper temperature to effect the conversion of the liquid fuel into In addition the cracking cham her is provided with more effective means to retain the vaporized fuel in a zone of intent heat until it is completely converted into gas, as distinguishing from my burner disclosed in the above mentioned copending application.

lhe present type of burner is perfected to the point where it is substantially noiseless in operation, thus eliminating one of the main objections to oil burners, particularly when en'iployed for household purposes.

The invention will be more fully under stood by reference to the accompanying drawings in Which- Fig. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of burner embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a View taken on line IIII in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a "view taken on line IIIIII 1n Fig. 1; and r V Fig. 4 is an elevational View of the burner unit on a reduced scale.

The selected embodiment of the present invention comprises a firepot 1 in communication with a chamber or retort 2 which receives fuel in the form of a vapor through aconduit 3. The conduit 3 may be connected with any source of fuel supply which furnishes a. mixture of air and fuel in the form of a. vapor for circulation in the chamber 2.

The chamber 2 being over the firepot 1 is maintained at high temperature particularly the lower portion .4 which may be of lesser thickness than the u per portions of the wall of the chamber. In order to convert the vapor into a highly combustible before it is led to the firepot. it is important to direct the vapor into contact with hi,hl.y heated surface to obtain a cracking or instant conversion of the vapor to a gaseous at; e.

To this end. the chamber is provioed with a central outlet in the form of a stand-pipe 5 so disposed that the fuel passing from the conduit 3 is arrested and directed toward the heated area l. As an aid in confining the entering fuel. a partition 6 is provided to bridge av portion of the space between the stand-pipe and the wall of the compartment. This partition may extend beyond each side of the fuel conduit 3 and walls 7 and 8 Figs. 2 and 3) may be provided integral with the partition and the wall of the chamber to constitute an enclosure to prevent the upward passage of fuel it enters the chamber The walls 7 and 8, however. do not eXtend to the bottom of the compartment and are arranged to leave passageways at each side of the enclosure at the bottom thereof so tl at fuel entering the enclosure must travel over the heated surface 4 and thence to the upper end 9 of the stand-pipe through which it to the firopot 1. This arrangement of elements causes the fuel to always take a circuitous passage and after contacting with the heated surface l of the chamb r 2., must circulate about the highly heated chamber 2, thereby becoming converted into a gaseous condition and highly combustible.

I have found that from a practical standpoint and in order to attain the best results it an advanta not to excessively heat the vapor passin through the conduit 3 prior to its entrance into the ch amber 2. The conduit 3 is, therefore, provided with a heat insulating member which in the present construction is in the form of a sleeve 10 so that the heat radiating from the firepot 1 will not over heat the vapor prior to its entrance into the chamber This chamber may be of any do sirable form and shown is sub tantially cylindrical, having a reduced portion ll adapted to fit an aperture 12 in awall 13 of the firepot 1.

The wall 13 of the firepot is provided with fuel outlet passages 14 and may be termed the burner nozzle. The passages 14- thereof are preferably disposed at an angle to cause ignited fuel issuing therefrom to impinge upon a wall or flange 15 of the firepot. The flange 15 surrounds the burner nozzle and is constructed with an upper portion or arnulus 16 separable therefrom. the lower portion 17 being integral with the firepot. By reason of the removability of the annulus 16. it is possible to readily replace the same if the intense heat from the impinzrinr: lames cause a. burning); or disintegration of the metal. Another and highly important feature of the annulus 16 is to prevent the travel of excessive heat by conduction to lower portions of the firepot. The flange 15 and particularly the annulus 16 thereof serves as a deflector plate to direct the heat and concentrate the ic'nued fuel about the lirepot 2.

It will be appreciated that the flames impinging upon the annulus or member 16 are deflected upwardly and owing to their direct contact with the member 16. cause the same to be heated to a relatively high temperature. If. therefore. the annulus were integral with the firepot. that is. in one piece, with the flange 17. then heat would be r adily conducted downwardly tbroup h the base of the firepot and diss patcc at a loss to efiiciecy since when the fuel passes from the chamber 2. has already been raised to a temperature sufficient to put it into highly combustible state. By reason of the seg iarable or independent annulus 16, an air space 18 is provided between the annulus and the flange 17, thereby arresting: the conduction of heat from the annulus to the lower portion of the firc pot. and in practice. it has been found that the annulus will reach a relatively high tem' perature while the flange 17 and firepot propor will remain at a comparatively low temperature.

The annulus 16 av be positioned with its edee in direct contact with the flange 17 and held by lips 19 as shown. Good results have. however. been obtained with the air space provided by the contact between the surfaces of the annulus and the flange. since they are usually of cast me al and have relatively rough surfaces. effecting a sufficient separa tion of the members to provide an insulative layer of air.

In the present type of burner. it is desirable to provide sou. cc of heat to bring the portion 4 of the chamber 2 to a relatively high temperature prior to the delivery of vaporous fuel. to the chamber and to also provide a pilot flame for igniting the aasilied fuel issuing from the burner nozzle. For this purpose, I provide gas inlet 20 which may connect with any service supply line. The inlet 20 delivers to passages 21 and 22. The passage 21 terminates in a nozzle 23 for projecting a fiameto light the burner nozzle. The passage 22 terminates in a manifold 24 surroimdiugthe lower end of the chamber 2, the said manifold having outlets 25 for the discharge of ignited to provide flames for heating the portion 4 of the chamber 2.

The present burner operates to burn fuel in the form of a vapor constituting a mixture of mixture may be led through the fuel conductor 3 to the chamber 2.

It will be noted that the construction of the chamber 2, which may be termed a gas producing chamber, is such that the actual capacity of the chamber for the flow of mixture for conversion into gas is comparatively small- That is, the standpipe 5 occupies a relatively great proportion of the space within the chamber so that the passage through which the mixed gas must travel is relatively small in transverse cross-sectional area, thus the mixture is subjected to the full heating effect of the wall of the chamber.

The chamber 2 may be considered as divided into three compartments, one adjacent the orifice of the fuel conduit 3, communicating with the chamber 2, resulting from the partition 6 and walls 7 and 8, another being the remaining portion of the chamber through which the mixture is caused to travel to reach the standpipe 5, while the third compartment may consist of the standpipe, the wall of which further divides the chamber. The chamber, therefore, is sep arated into first, a fuel confining compartment A, second, a fuel circulating compartment B and third, a fuel outlet compartment (1. It will also be noted that the area of the stand-pipe is less than the area of the fuel inlet, thus the flow inlet area is greater than the flow outlet area, causing a pressure to build up in the gas producing chamber which, in conjunction with the expansion of the mixture when converted to a gas, results in a discharge at high velocity from the burner nozzle. 1

From the above, it will be evident that vapor passing from the conductor 3 will be confined in the compartment A formed by the bridge 6 and the partitions 7 and 8. The mixture is, therefore, causedto make contact with the portion 4 which, having been heated by the flames from outlets 25 initially converts the mixture into a gaseous state. The gas then passes to compartment B which is also highly heated from the firepot and the gas is super-heated. This super-heated gas then flows through compartment C and thence to the burner nozzle from which it issues in the form of flames of high temperature. As the burner continues in operation, the flames from the burner nozzle bring the whole chamber 2 to ahigh temperature and the fuel mixture which is caused to flow about the chamber before it can escape to the burner nozzle becomes extremely combustible giving a flame of intense heat for the purpose desired.

If upon starting the burner, the mixture discharged from the burner nozzle is not gaseous enough and should condense, such con densate willbe absorbed by a wick 26 and the gas flame from outlet 23 will cause such fuel to burn. It has been found that a v ry small. amount of condensate occurs which is readily trliGIl up by the wick and quickly burned up as the-burner goes into effective operation. Should the pilot light fail for some reason and mixture continue to condense. to any considerable degree, the same would flow through a drain pipe 27 which may be connected to the usual form of trip-bucket (not shown) whereby the supply of fuel to the burner would be automatically terminated. This operation is common in connection with oil burning units and is, therefore, not shown and further description thereof deemed un- By reason of the present novel arrangement of elements constituting the present burner, a compact and eflicient unit is provided.

The whole unit is comprised of three members, namely, the gas chamber, tl e firepot and the annulus which is in fact, part of the firepot, making a unit of such character as to be low in initial cost and economical in upkeep.

Although a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown and described herein, it is to be understood that modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims,

What is claimed is:

1. A fluid fuel burner which compri es a fuel chamber having burner orifices in its upper wall, an annular flange projecting ve'rtically from the outer edge of said fuel chamber, a retort positioned immediately above andcentrally of said fuel chamber, a removable ring on said vertical flange forming an annular flame s iace about the lower part of said retort, an inlet pipe to the side wall of said retort, a centrally disposed outletpipe from said retort and extending from a point above said inlet pipe to the side wall of said fuel chamber, and a partition extending from the wall of said retort above said inlet toward said outlet pipe towards the lower part of said retort to direct fluid above said outlet pipe and to the lower part of the retort.

2. A fluid fuel burner which com arises a vertical retort of substantially cylin rical form, an inlet through the side wall of said retort, an outlet pipe extending centrally from the upper part of said retort through the bottom thereof and forming an annular space therein, a partition extending from the wall of said retort above said inlet to said outlet pipe and thence downwardly, and a fuel chamber connected to the lower end of said outlet pipe and having i ame Openings about said retort.

3. A fluid fuel burner having a retort, an inlet through the side wall of said retort, an outlet pipe extending from above said inlet downwardly through said retort to form an annular space therein, said annular space cxtend'. downwardly below said inlet, a partition extending from the wall of said retort above said inlet to said outlet pipe and thence downwardly to deflect from said inlet to the lower part of said annular space, and means for burning fuel from said retort about the lower part of said retort.

l. A fluid fuel burner which comprises a fuel chamber having a downwardly and outwardly sloping top wall and burner orifices in said top wall, a vertical annular flange encircling said top wall to form a fire pot, a liquid collecting groove at the outer edge of said top wall, and means for supplying fuel and air to said fuel chamber above said burner orifices.

5. A fluid fuel burner which comprises a fuel chamber having a downwardlly and outwardly sloping top wall, burner orifices in said top wall, a vertical annular flange encircling said top wall to form a fire pot, a liquid collecting groove at the outer edge of said top wall, a wick in said groove and a retort positioned centrally immediately above and communicating with said fuel chamber to supply fuel and air thereto.

6. A fluid fuel burner which comprises a fuel chamber having burner orifices in its top wall, a retort positioned centrally above said chamber, a connecting pipe extending downwardly from the upper part of said retort centrally of said retort to said chamber, said pipe having an inlet opening at the upper end of said retort and an outlet opening into said chamber and means for supplying fuel in a fluid stream to said retort and directing it transversely to said pipe.

7. A fluid fuel burner which comprises a fuel chamber having burner orifices in its top wall, retort positioned centrally above said chamber, connecting pipe extending downwardly from the upper part of said retort centrallv of said retort to said chamber, said pipe having an inlet opening at the upper end of said retort and an outlet opening into said chamber, means for supplying fuel in a fluid stream to said ret rt and directing it transversely to said pipe, and a partition between said pipe below said inlet opening and the wall of said retort above said fuel supply means.

8. A fluid fuel burner which comprises a fuel chamber having burner orifices in its top wall, a retort positioned centrally above said chamber, a connecting pipe extending downwardly from the upper part of said retort centrally of said retort to said chamber, said pipe having an inlet opening at the upper end of said retort and an outlet opening into said chamber, means for supplying fuel in a fluid stream to said retort and directing it transversely to said pipe, means extending from the wall of sait reto t above said fuel supply means to said pipe below said inlet 0 aening to direct said fuel stream about opposite sides of said pipe and downwardly.

9. A fluid fuel burner which comprises a fuel chamber having burner orifices in its top wall, a retort positioned centrally above said chamber and having an outlet pipe extending from the upper part of said retort downwardly to said fuel chamber, said outlet pipebeing spaced from the sides of said retort to provide an annular space in said retort, an inlet pipe entering the side wall of said retort and partition extending from the side wall of said retort above said inlet pipe and toward said outlet pipe to direct fluid from said inlet pipe to the lower part of the annular space in said retort and cause said fluid to pass through said annular space to sai d outlet pipe.

10. A fluid fuel burner which comprises a fuel chamber having burner orifices in its top wall, a vertical annular flange encircling said fuel chamber to form a lire pot, a retort positioned centrally in said fire pot and having a centrally downwardly disposed outlet pipe extending from the upper part of said retort to said fuel chamber, an inlet through the side wall of said retort, and a partition in said retort extending from the side wall above said inlet to said outlet pipe to prevent fluid from passing from said inlet pipe directly to said outlet pipe.

11. A fluid fuel burner which comprises a fuel chamber having burner orifices in its top wall, a vertical annular flange encircling said fuel chamber to form a fire pot, a retort positioned centrally in said fire pot and having a centrally downwardly disposed outlet pipe extending from the upper part of said retort to said fuel chamber to form an annular space therein, an inlet through the side wa l of said retort directed to said annular space transversely to the axis thereof.

In testimony whereof I afliz: my signature.

JOHN MURTON BROXVN. 

